(a) General French at Bloemfontein.Making a wide détour, and thus outflanking the enemy, Lord Roberts's force marches, without further opposition, 16 miles to Venter's Vlei, which is 18 miles from Bloemfontein. Under the direction of Lord Roberts, Gen. French pushes on and occupies two hills close to the railway station and commanding the town. He is entertained for the night by President Steyn's brother, on his farm. President Steyn himself leaves Bloemfontein secretly at 6.30 in the evening for Kroonstadt, to which place he has announced the "transfer" of the capital. He makes no reply to a demand from Gen. Roberts that he shall surrender the town within 24 hours. The fighting components of the Boer force leave for the north, the Free Staters declining to remain, notwithstanding the threats of the Transvaal Boers to turn their guns on the town.

(6) Relief funds to date.-Up to this date the total amount contributed to the Mansion House War Fund, from every quarter of the globe, has been £769,189. Of this £354,766 has been designated by the donors for the widows and orphans (Royal Patriotic Fund), £77,407 for the sick and wounded (British Red Cross Society), £83,495 for the disabled soldiers and sailors (Lloyd's Patriotic Fund), and £140,047 for the wives and families (Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association), leaving £113,474 to be applied by the Lord Mayor at his discretion. These sums are exclusive of nearly £140,000 contributed to the Daily Telegraph Shilling Fund for widows and orphans, £87,000 contributed to the Daily Mail Kipling Poem

Fund, the local funds of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association, and of the funds raised by the Lord Mayors of cities like Liverpool and Manchester, and the Lord Provosts of Edinburgh and Glasgow, or by various provincial newspapers and other agencies. The total contributions to the Mansion House Transvaal Refugees Fund amount to £175,500. A meeting at Marlborough House decides to form a central committee, with the Prince of Wales as Chairman, for the better distribution of the war relief funds, and to prevent overlapping, etc.

- 13. (a) Occupation of Bloemfontein.-Lord Roberts breakfasts with Mr. Steyn's brother, and then, leading a cavalcade a mile in length, descends the southern slope towards Bloemfontein. Two miles from the town he is met by the mayor and leading officials, who give him the keys of the Government buildings, and appear greatly relieved at the course that events have taken. Entering the town "in state," Lord Roberts has a very cordial reception from the inhabitants, who cheer vigorously and sing "God save the Queen." He takes possession of Bloemfontein in the name of the Queen, raising over the Presidency a Union Jack which had been specially made by Lady Roberts. In addressing the Guards Brigade Lord Roberts says that owing to a slight mistake he had not been able to march into Bloemfontein at the head of the Brigade as he had intended, but he adds, "I promise I will lead you into Pretoria." The correspondent of the Times, telegraphing under to-day's date, says of the advance on Bloemfontein :

to

"The marching of the Army Corps throughout has been superb. The Guards Brigade marched from 3 p.m. yesterday p.m. to-day with two and a half hours' sleep, but every man in the force is willing to work till he drops for Lord Roberts. Every march, every movement, and every victory increases his popularity and strengthens the Army's confidence in him. All the troops realise that they are taking part in the most famous march of recent times."

(b) The Presidents seek peace.-Lord Salisbury reads in the House of Lords a telegram from the Presidents of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic, dated Bloemfontein, March 5, making overtures for peace, and his own reply thereto. The Presidents said in the course of their message :—

"This war was undertaken solely as a defensive measure to safeguard the threatened independence of the South African Republic, and is only continued in order to secure and safeguard the incontestable independence of both Republics as sovereign international States, and to obtain the assurance that those of Her Majesty's subjects who have taken part with us in this war shall suffer no harm whatsoever in person or property. On these conditions, but on these conditions. alone, are we now, as in the past, desirous of seeing peace re-established in South Africa, and of putting an end to the evils now reigning over South Africa; while, if Her Majesty's Government is determined to destroy the independence of the Republics, there is nothing left to us and to our people but to persevere to the end in the course already begun.”

In his reply, on March 11, Lord Salisbury said :—

"In the beginning of October last peace existed between Her Majesty and the two Republics under the Conventions which then were in existence. A discussion had been proceeding for some months between Her Majesty's Government and the South African Republic, of which the object was to

obtain redress for certain very serious grievances under which British residents in the South African Republic were suffering. In the course of these negotiations the South African Republic had, to the knowledge of Her Majesty's Government, made considerable armaments, and the latter had, consequently, taken steps to provide corresponding reinforcements to the British garrisons of Capetown and Natal. No infringement of the rights guaranteed by the Conventions had, up to that point, taken place on the British side. Suddenly, at two days' notice, the South African Republic, after issuing an insulting ultimatum, declared war upon Her Majesty; and the Orange Free State, with whom there had not even been any discussion, took a similiar step. Her Majesty's dominions were immediately invaded by the two Republics, siege was laid to three towns within the British frontier, a large portion of the two colonies was overrun, with great destruction to property and life, and the Republics claimed to treat the inhabitants of extensive portions of Her Majesty's dominions as if those dominions had been annexed to one or other of them. In anticipation of these operations the South African Republic had been accumulating for many years past military stores on an enormous scale, which, by their character, could only have been intended for use against Great Britain.

"Your Honours make some observations of a negative character upon the object with which these preparations were made. I do not think it necessary to discuss the questions you have raised. But the result of these preparations, carried on with great secrecy, has been that the British Empire has been compelled to confront an invasion which has entailed upon the Empire a costly war and the loss of thousands of precious lives. This great calamity has been the penalty which Great Britain has suffered for having in recent years acquiesced in the existence of the two Republics.

"In view of the use to which the two Republics have put the position which was given to them, and the calamities which their unprovoked attack has inflicted upon Her Majesty's dominions, Her Majesty's Government can only answer your

Honours' telegram by saying that they are not prepared to assent to the independence either of the South African Republic or of the Orange Free State."

(c) German non-intervention.-Reported from Durban that, the Transvaal Government having appealed to Germany for the latter's mediation or intervention, the German Government replied that it must decline to interfere, as it considered that it was in no way concerned in the conflict.

(d) Canada and the war.-Canadian House of Commons passes a resolution approving the action of the Dominion Government in despatching a Canadian contingent to assist the justice of the Imperial cause in South Africa. In the course of a great speech Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister, says :

"It will be to the eternal glory of England that instead of preparing for war last summer that war found her practically unprepared. Mr. Kruger had been preparing for years for war-buying munitions, accumulating provisions, importing European officers, and drilling his people—and when the time came and he thought he was ready, and he issued his insolent ultimatum calling upon England to give up her possessions in South Africa, England was found absolutely unprepared, and consequently had to submit at the outset to successive defeats. What we did we did of our own free will, and as to future wars, I have only this to say, that if it should be the will of the people of Canada at a future stage to take part in any war of England, the people of Canada will have their way. . When our young Volunteers sailed from our shores to join the British Army in South Africa, great were our expectations that they would display on those distant battlefields the same courage which had been displayed by their fathers when fighting in the last century. In many breasts there was a fugitive sense of uneasiness at the thought that the first facing of

Ꮓ